KiwiFire

Hi @Liquorice thank you for your detailed reply. Yes we have both visited Thailand previously and our plan is to live in Bangkok for the first year. So I'm clear on my path to a Non-O visa for Retirement in Thailand. However I'm not clear on the correct approach for my wife. Having her apply for the Non-O (Spouse/Family) in NZ will seemingly not work because I will not yet be residing in Thailand (to your point). I've been advised by a visa agency that my wife cannot arrive in Thailand on a visa exemption and then apply for a Non-O (Spouse/Family) visa that is dependent on my Non-O (Retirement) visa. They suggested that she first apply for an ED visa which is issued for 3 months, then needs to be extended for 1 year, after which she could apply for a Non-O (Spouse/Family) visa that is dependent on my visa. I'm not sure if this is a ploy to earn additional fees from the ED visa. I had a separate visa agency advise for both myself and my wife to apply for the Non-O in NZ. So I'm confused!

Hi everyone, first timer to this forum, thanks for having me. I'm 51 and my wife is 44, both residing in New Zealand and NZ citizens. We're planning to relocate to Thailand to retire in a few months. Given my wife is under 50, I'm seeking guidance on the optimal approach to long stay visas for us both. I've been researching on FB forums, Reddit communities, and talking with visa agents and not getting a coherent picture of how to tackle things. Hoping you can please help. From what I understand, we should both apply for Non-O visas from NZ. The cost is NZD 800 (THB 15,640) each which is pricey but ensures that we arrive in Thailand on a non-immigrant visa which should hopefully enable us to open a bank account. I have the THB 800,000 deposit that is required and understand this needs to be in the Thai bank account for two months prior to applying for the one year extension to the Non-O visa. In terms of applying for the Non-O visas in NZ, the sequence is that I would apply first for the purpose of Retirement. Once approved, my wife would then apply for the purpose of Spouse with reference to my visa. Can you please advise if this is the correct approach in our situation? Is my wife required to have a separate bank account with a second THB 800,000 deposit (so THB 800,000 each)? Will we be able to open a bank account with a Non-O visa? If we use an agent in Bangkok for the 1 year extension and bank account opening, what should we expect in terms of fees per person? Greatly appreciate your assistance!